The Girl Who Hopes to Become a Professional Shogi
Player

Eleven-year-old Ito Sae, a fifth-grade elementary school student, has won admission
to Shoreikai, an organization that trains professional shogi
players and is run by the Japan Shogi Association. Ito was just 10 years old when
she took the test to enter Shoreikai and is the youngest girl ever to pass. She
qualified as a sixth kyu (level) player in the professional
rankings, which means that she is as good as adults with a fourth dan
(rank) in the amateur division. (Kyu are counted down,
while dan are counted up. So first kyu
is higher than second kyu, but second dan is higher
than first dan.)

A shogi board with the 20 pieces
used by each player (Japan Shogi Association)

Shogi is a Japanese board game for two players
that evolved into its present form more than 500 years ago. Each player starts
with 20 pieces and moves them around the board with the aim of capturing their
opponent's king. The board has 81 squares, divided into nine rows and nine columns.
The pieces all have the same pentagon shape and are inscribed with a kanji (Chinese
character) denoting their rank. The rules of shogi
resemble those of chess in all but one major respect: In shogi,
a player can capture an opponent's piece and put it back into play as their own.

Admission into Shoreikai is based on the results of a written test and a competition
among applicants. Applicants must first win four out of six games in the competition.
If they are successful, they then play against three Shoreikai members. Victory
in one of these games gains them admission to Shoreikai. In 2004, a total of 67
youngsters aged 19 and under applied to Shoreikai's Tokyo and Osaka offices. Only
19 survived the rigorous competition and were accepted for membership.

Shoreikai has 150 members. Twice a month, they take a day off from school,
go to Shoreikai's Tokyo or Osaka shogi centers, and
play from morning until night. As members, they improve their skills not only
by playing shogi but also by recording the moves of
games and teaching beginners.

To graduate from Shoreikai and become a professional, a player must have at
least a fourth dan ranking. Professionals make a living
by winning prize money from tournaments and earning appearance fees. Winning promotion
to the fourth dan is not easy, however. Upon reaching
third dan, players compete in a six-month-long tournament.
Only the two with the best records earn promotion to fourth dan.

Shoreikai members learn shogi while
sitting on a tatami floor. (Japan Shogi Association)

Aspiring professionals must also compete against time limits. Shoreikai members
who do not win promotion to first dan by the time
they are 21 and do not become professional by the age of 30 must withdraw from
the organization. Sae must work her way up through the ranks, from her current
position in the sixth kyu to the first kyu
and then on to the first, second, and third dan.

Today there are 50 women in Japan who compete against other women as shogi
masters. Of these, 11 managed to gain entry to Shoreikai. None, however, ranks
higher than a first dan. Until now, no woman has ever
managed to become a shogi professional and compete
with men at this level. Will Sae be able to win a place as a professional? Right
now, hopes are running high that she will. But the road ahead is long, and she
will have to wage her battle alone. Shoreikai's other members are all boys, and
most are older than her. Sae will have to compete against them - and emerge victorious
- to succeed.